University of Connecticut Athletics
Women's Track & Field Heads to NCAA East Regionals
5/21/2013 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track and Field
May 21, 2013
East Regional Home Page | Schedule of Events
STORRS, Conn.- The UConn women's track and field team is sending 12 Huskies to the 2013 NCAA East Preliminary Round hosted by North Carolina A&T in Greensboro, N.C. at the Irwin Belk Track inside of Aggie Stadium. The preliminary regional rounds feature the top-48 student-athletes in each event with the top-12 advancing to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore. on June 5-8. Connecticut will begin competition on Thursday with the first Husky kicking off the weekend at 6 pm with the meet running through Saturday evening. UConn has set a program-high with 12 Huskies heading to the East Regionals.
"The team has once again established itself as a top-tier group by advancing 12 athletes to the East Regionals," stated head coach Bill Morgan. "With five All-Americans leading this group it gives us a complete team feel."
As she has done all year, senior Victoria Flowers will lead the Huskies into competition as she will take part in both the shot put and hammer throw. The Providence, R.I. native has been spectacular in her final season donning her UConn garb bringing home the shot put BIG EAST and ECAC crowns along with the BIG EAST and ECAC hammer titles. A five-time All-American, Flowers enters Greensboro sitting in 12th in the nation (fifth in region) in the hammer and 20th in the country (seventh in the region) in the shot put.
The All-American duo of senior Ilva Bikanova and junior Natasha McLaren will compete in Friday's high jump. Bikanova's 1.85m jump at the conference meet has her entering the event at No. 4, while McLaren sits at No. 22 following a 1.80m leap at Brown.
Guiding the group on the track will be All-Americans Celina Emerson and Brigitte Mania as Emerson is running in the 400 meter dash at the No. 15 seat and Mania in the 800 at No. 5. Emerson will lead the 4x400 meter relay on Saturday and is joined by Deysha Smith-Jenkins, Tiffany Daley and Paris Taft.
"With the team's first 4x4 relay team to qualify the staff feels that all athletes are in position to move on, it's going to be exciting to have them perform on this NCAA stage. They're confident and prepared," Morgan concluded.
On the track, the distance runners will be well represented as freshman Julia Zrinyi, senior Shauna McNiff, junior Lauren Sara and junior Allison Lasnicki have qualified for the East Regionals. Zrinyi will be running in the 1,500 meter run, McNiff in the 3,000 meter steeplechase, while Sara and Lasnicki will be competing in Thursday's 10,000 meter run. While the group offers a vast amount experience and each were a part of the 2012 cross country team's historic season the four Huskies are each contending for their first track and field All-American honor.
Check back to uconnhuskies.com on Sunday for final results and recap.
UConn Huskies Schedule in Greensboro
400 Meter Dash | Thursday (7:20 PM) | ||
800 Meter Run | Thursday (8:10 PM) | ||
1,500 Meter Run | Thursday (6:00 PM) | ||
Steeplechase | Friday (8:50 PM) | ||
10,000 Meter Run | Thursday (9:00 PM) | ||
10,000 Meter Run | Thursday (9:00 PM) | ||
4x400 Relay | Saturday (9:25 PM) | ||
High Jump | Friday (6:00 PM) | ||
High Jump | Friday (6:00 PM) | ||
Shot Put | Saturday (5:30 PM) | ||
Hammer Throw | Friday (10:00 AM) |
Players Mentioned
